My hands-down favorite thing in Philadelphia is the Reading Terminal Market. Sure, there’s the founding of our country and amazing art, but take me to the food!
Reading Terminal Market
Reading Terminal Market (pronounced “redding” not reading like a book) is an indoor marketplace with cooked-food stalls, raw meats and produce, and plenty of other goods as well. There are around 70 merchants inside. I took a walking tour where the guide said that if you can’t find anything to eat here, the problem is with you.
There is everything from high-end Spanish Iberian ham to homestyle Pennsylvania Dutch. Long counters hold bakery items, cheeses, and candy, and there are plenty of international options like Indian, Chinese, Cajun, and Greek. And there are many versions of Philly’s famous cheesesteaks. Personally, I prefer Philadelphia-style soft pretzels.
Most of the food stalls are counters where you take your food to go. To eat at the market, there are centrally-located seating areas. (There’s a brass pig statue in one seating area, and you can even put change in his mouth for charity!) Some stalls have dedicated bar seating, and one – Molly Malloy’s pub – has a whole restaurant-style setup.
There’s history at the Reading Terminal Market too. It’s been open as a market since 1893, attached to the huge downtown Reading line train station. (The station now is the convention center next door. It looks better on the outside than the inside.)
Food at Reading Terminal Market
On my first visit to Reading Terminal Market, I sat down at the first place I came to, which happened to be the Dutch Eating Place, a Pennsylvania Dutch kitchen with bar seating. I got a burger on that visit, and regret not getting their hand-cut fries. I regret even more not trying their hot turkey sandwich, which I was told by some ladies nearby was the best thing in the market. These ladies also told me to go stand in the line for Beiler’s donuts nearby, which I ended up doing several times during my six weeks in Philadelphia.
In fact, between the Dutch Eating Place, Beiler’s Donuts, and Dienner’s BBQ Chicken, I had a hard time venturing out of that Pennsylvania Dutch corner of the market because it was all so good! Eventually, I also enjoyed a Miller’s Twist pretzel (very very good), Cookies from Famous 4th Street Cookie Company (good), and Peking duck and roast pork over noodles from Sang Kee Peking Duck (not my favorite.) I also had eggs with scrapple and an apple fritter from the Dutch Eating Place – the apple fritter is worth a visit on its own. The scrapple was fine but I’d rather have bacon or ham.
Harry Potter Food
Harry Potter: The Exhibition opened at the Franklin Institute during my visit, and the whole Reading Terminal Market celebrated with Harry Potter-themed food and decorations. I ended up with a butterbeer-flavored whoopie pie at Flying Monkey bakery. It was good but too artificially flavored. I wonder if I’d prefer a regular chocolate whoopie instead. I also had “Diagonion Alley Rings” (aka onion rings) at Fox & Sons, a counter that serves carnival fare like corn dogs and funnel cakes. The onion rings were very good – they were actually suggested by the guy at the Flying Monkey.
That’s another thing I liked about Reading Terminal Market. People here are generally friendly! I didn’t find friendliness to be too common across Philadelphia, even in the touristy spots. So it is even more welcome inside the market. Warm smiles and warm food make it feel like a haven in a sometimes cold city (both literally and metaphorically.)
More Than Food (but mostly food)
And there is more to the market than hot food! You can buy cuts of meat and fresh seafood. Once I saw a big pile of chicken feet, which just isn’t something you see every day. One long case holds several styles of bacon. There are at least two different produce markets. And then there are non-food stalls. I saw Philly souvenirs, honey products like lotion and candles, flowers, French linens, African jewelry, and Moroccan leather bags.
Location & Hours
Reading Terminal Market is located between 11th and 12th streets, and Arch and Filbert, just a touch north of Market Street. There are several entrances on Arch, 12th, and Filbert.
The Market is a daytime thing, so don’t plan on stopping in for dinner. The overall market hours are daily from 8 am to 6 pm, though individual stalls can hold their own hours.
Parking
Parking near Reading Terminal Market can be a hassle, though you can get discounted parking for up to two hours. To get discounted parking, spend at least $10 at any market vendor and ask for parking validation. Then it only costs $4 to park at the Hilton Garage at 11th and Arch, or $5 at the Parkway garage at 12th and Filbert. But go over two hours and you’ll be charged full price. I did it once with some visiting friends and our parking was around $35 for about 3 hours.
Conclusion
If it’s not clear, I HIGHLY recommend visiting the Reading Terminal Market! My favorite things there were Beiler’s Donuts and Miller’s Twist Pretzels. Though I wish I had also tried the hot turkey sandwich and fries at Dutch Eating Place. And I never ate a Philly cheesesteak, though I’ve heard DiNic’s roast pork & beef sandwich is even better. (Sometimes I wish I had a travel partner just to share food so I can try more things! Some of this stuff is just too big for one person.)
While I enjoyed everything I did in Philadelphia – all the historic stuff & the art museum stuff, and I met up with a few college friends in the area – on the whole, the city sort of left me cold. But for me, the warm beating heart of Philadelphia is the Reading Terminal Market.
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